


Why?

by tmylm



Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2019-12-26 02:28:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18273941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tmylm/pseuds/tmylm
Summary: For the anonymous Tumblr prompt:"How about a high school fic where Beca is popular and Chloë is the new girl who gets bullied because she is smart? Maybe Beca sticks up for her or maybe Beca is really shy around her despite being the most popular kid in school."Beca is sixteen years old, she's yet to explore her sexuality, yet she finds herself completely drawn to Chloe Beale.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> High school AU. Warnings for bullying.

Beca has been the new girl before, she remembers what it’s like. It’s awkward, and it’s uncomfortable. Everyone’s eyes trained on you as you enter a room, a stranger for everyone to judge right off the bat. A lamb to the slaughter really.

It wasn’t always easy for Beca, not like it is now.

She’d moved schools partway through freshman year. Her parents were in the midst of a messy divorce, and the residual anger had made for quite the addition to her already cliche bout of teenage angst.

She remembers her first day, the hallways so long and lonely. The gawking stares of passers by, the snickers behind hands and the not quite hushed enough comments about how she looked like she didn’t belong. She was too short, her eyeliner too thick, nose too crooked. There’s no such thing as pleasing adolescents, Beca has learned.

But then she’d met him, the junior boy with the large following who had taken a shine to her, and Beca suddenly had her get out of jail free card.

Now it’s two years later, Jesse is in college, and Beca has managed to maintain her standing as the most popular girl in school, whether she necessarily wants the metaphorical crown or not.

She can’t help but be reminded of herself, of her first day at Barden High, as she watches the new girl carrying her blue tray through the cafeteria, bright eyes scanning the room for an empty seat. There have been other new students between then and now, but Beca has never really paid much mind to them. There’s something about this girl, though. Something that draws her in, and Beca finds herself staring.

“Why wouldn’t you dye your hair if it was that color?” Ashley sneers, a round of laughter erupting from the girls sitting around their usual table.

“Did you see the way she kept raising her hand in class?” Aubrey’s judgmental eyes roll, and Beca can’t help but think how rich the comment is, coming from the girl who is and always has been quite arguably the teacher’s pet.

She knows that it’s jealousy on both counts. The new girl is beautiful, she’s smart. They won’t admit to it, but she intimidates both of them.

“Oh God, she’s coming this way,” Stacie groans, deliberately shoving her backpack into the empty space beside her.

“Hey! You guys were in my fifth period English class, right?” The new girl greets, her smile wide and confident, blue eyes glistening. She’s wearing a dress, one that Aubrey had made a snide remark about earlier. Beca thinks she looks good, though. She wears it well. “I’m Chloe, I’m new.” She pauses, hesitating for only a brief moment, before she continues. “Can I sit with you?”

The girls around the table exchange a look, though Beca doesn’t see it. She’s busy studying the redhead. Chloe notices and flashes her a small smile, one that has Beca averting her gaze almost sheepishly.

“Sorry,” Aubrey’s voice chimes in, “As you can see, our table is pretty full. And you might need a little more room to keep shooting your hand up into the air.” The blonde mimics a desperately raised hand, as if trying to capture the invisible teacher’s attention. The girls all snicker, but not Beca. She turns her attention back to the redhead just in time to see her expression fall, to see the anguish in her crystal blue eyes.

“Oh… Okay.” In spite of everything, Chloe offers the group a polite smile, before stepping away from the table.

“Dude, you know that wasn’t cool, right?” Beca frowns, turning to address her friends. Aubrey looks pretty pleased with herself, and the others have amused smiles painted across their lips. Beca simply shakes her head, before pushing herself up from the table. The action is met with confused expressions, but she doesn’t bother to explain herself. Instead, she finds herself following after the new girl.

“Hey. Wait up,” she says, capturing her attention. Beca is walking beside the redhead now, and she offers her a warm smile as they exchange a look with one another. Chloe’s eyes are really blue. Captivatingly so, Beca can’t help but notice. “Chloe, right? I’m Beca. I know it’s easier said than done, but you should ignore them. They can be real jerks sometimes.”

Chloe seems appreciative of the company, and her small smile, coated with a shiny film of clear lipgloss, mirrors Beca’s in response. Beca can’t help but find herself studying it, watching the way her lips curve upward slightly at the corners, the way her eyes soften just slightly with her smile.

“It’s okay,” Chloe responds with a small shrug of her shoulder, though Beca can tell that her nonchalance is forced. “This is my third new school in two years, I’m used to it.”

“Why have you moved schools so many times?” Beca asks, for some reason wanting to make conversation with the other girl. She’s sure she just feels bad for her; she knows how it feels to be the new girl. But a part of her knows that that’s not it. She just doesn’t know exactly _what_ it is… There’s a free table by the window. Beca motions to it, and Chloe seems grateful as she takes one of the four seats, setting her plastic tray down gently. Beca notices there isn’t much on it, just a sandwich and a bottle of water. It makes sense; it’s Chloe’s first day, she’s nervous. It’s hard to eat when you’re feeling that way.

“Mm,” the redhead seems to mull over the question as she tears into the packaging of her sandwich, gaze on her hands rather than on Beca. Beca finds herself still watching her carefully, though. “People just don’t like me very much.”

Dark brows raise slightly, and Beca feels a sharp ache in her chest.

“You’ve been bullied out of your other schools?” She asks, her tone softening some. Chloe responds with a short nod of her head.

“It’s jealousy,” Beca says, unsure of where the words even come from. Apparently, she isn’t so good at keeping herself as collected as usual around this new girl. She doesn’t know why. “I mean, you’re pretty, that’s always intimidating for girls like Aubrey and Stacie.”

“You think I’m pretty?” Chloe’s eyes are on her now, and Beca notes the way her lips have twitched slightly into a gentle smile at the corners. Beca feels a warm sensation in her cheeks, she knows there’s an unmistakable blush stretching across her pale skin, but she doesn’t respond.

Chloe’s voice is smaller, softer. It’s genuine. “I think you’re pretty, too.”

***

“What the hell, Beca?” Aubrey asks when they meet after last period. Aubrey isn’t used to people standing up to her, nor to them disagreeing with her.

Chloe has been in the rest of Beca’s classes for the day, and she has stayed by her side throughout. People have taken notice, with some even exchanging polite greetings with the new girl throughout the course of the afternoon. It’s like the Jesse effect, Beca realizes. The way her now ex-boyfriend took her in and pulled her from the bottom of the social ladder, Beca is inadvertently doing the same thing with Chloe. In a completely platonic sense, of course.

She’s pretty sure it’s platonic, anyway.

Whatever it is, Aubrey apparently doesn’t like it.

“Let it go, Aubrey,” the brunette responds with a roll of her eyes. Again, Aubrey doesn’t like it, and responds with an audible scoff.

“You can find a new lunch table tomorrow,” the blonde calls after her as Beca hurries ahead. She simply raises her middle finger over her shoulder in response, not bothering to look back at her. The crowd may follow Beca, but she has never followed the crowd. Aubrey will get over herself eventually.

“Chloe,” Beca says, catching up with the redhead once more. She noticed the way the new girl had left class quickly. She knows it was probably a tactic, a learned behavior that it’s better to get out of there fast before people follow her to give her crap. Chloe was a victim of bullying, after all. The thought still causes a pain in Beca’s chest.

Chloe jumps a little, but she turns to look at the shorter girl over her shoulder, a natural smile easing onto her coated lips. “Oh. Hey, Beca.”

“Hey. What are you doing now?”

“Going home.” Chloe’s laugh is soft, it’s quiet. Beca notices the way her blue eyes seem to glisten under the hallway’s artificial light. “School is over. Surprisingly, I don’t live here in this very building.” Her tone is playful, and the way she winks almost makes Beca bite her lip. She really doesn’t know why.

Beca responds with a playful glare. “Very funny. I meant did you want to hang out?”

Chloe seems genuinely surprised by the question. In fact, she slows down a little bit, eyeing Beca curiously. It’s clear that she isn’t used to this, to people taking so easily to her. Beca has, though. She can’t explain why, she just.. has. “You want to hang out with me?”

Beca shrugs. “We’ve kind of been hanging out all afternoon. I’m not sick of you yet.”

While Chloe responds with a grin, she also shakes her head, her red curls bobbing almost rhythmically over her shoulders. “You don’t have to be this nice to me, you know? I mean, I appreciate it. But your friends are probably judging you for hanging out with the dorky new girl.”

“I think I would’ve gone with nerdy over dorky.”

It’s Chloe’s turn to glare this time, though it’s playful, the same way Beca’s was. She pauses to eye her for a moment longer, like she’s trying to gauge her emotions, her sincerity. “Okay, fine,” she finally decides, “What do you want to do?”

Beca shrugs, and she can’t help but realize that she doesn’t care. She doesn’t mind what they do; she just knows that she wants to spend more time with the new girl.

She doesn’t know why.

***

It doesn’t take long for them to decide what they want to do. It’s a decently nice day out, so Chloe suggests they go grab frozen yogurt, and since Beca has made the relatively confusing realization that she doesn’t care what they do, as long as she gets to continue hanging out with Chloe, she agrees without question. She doesn’t even like fro-yo that much, truth be told. But she can deal.

“So, how’s Barden comparing with your old schools?” Beca asks as she scoops a spoonful of strawberry flavored frozen yogurt into her mouth. She was going to get vanilla at first, but Chloe challenged her to try something more adventurous. Apparently strawberry was as adventurous as she was going to get. It had made Chloe smile, though, so that was all that mattered. She doesn’t really know why.

“Mm, too soon to tell yet,” Chloe shrugs, digging her spoon into her yogurt. The color is intriguing, though Beca isn’t sure when the redhead holds it out toward her. “Try some.”

“You want me to eat your yogurt from your spoon?” Beca chuckles quietly, a brow arching almost quizzically.

“What, do you think I’m diseased or something?” Chloe retorts, still offering the spoon out to her. “It’s just mango flavor, it won’t bite you.”

Beca looks skeptical, but eventually she leans forward and wraps her lips around the spoon, the sweet taste of mango hitting her tongue instantly. She has to admit, it isn’t terrible.

“Well?” Chloe asks, eyes almost expectant.

“I’ve had worse,” Beca shrugs, though secretly she thinks that maybe next time that’s the one she’ll go for. “Let me try a different question then. Do you think you’re going to like Barden better than your old schools?”

“I have more friends at this school than the last two combined, so I’d say it’s looking pretty promising.”

Beca knows she’s Chloe’s only friend at Barden so far. The thought is kind of heartbreaking, though she doesn’t let it show. Instead, she just silently vows to stick close to the other girl. She has been having fun with her all afternoon, she finds Chloe Beale intriguing. Again, she doesn’t know why. She just.. _does_.

“What were you and your friends talking about at lunch?” Chloe questions as she takes another small bite of her yogurt. Beca can tell it’s simply conversational, though she doesn’t plan to answer her truthfully. They’d been talking about Chloe, after all.

“Boys,” she shrugs, the response leaving her lips easily. It surprises her really; Beca has never been the best liar. Then again, boys really had been the topic before that. They generally were. Beca doesn’t usually join in much, she hasn’t really had any interest in anybody since Jesse, and even then she isn’t sure she was completely into him. Chloe accepts the response with a nod of her head, before Beca continues. “Do you have a boyfriend?”

Chloe shakes her head this time, and Beca doesn’t understand why she’s silently cheering. “I don’t. My ex girlfriend and I broke up right around Valentine’s Day, so that kind of sucked. But we weren’t right for each other, so it was a good thing really.”

The response surprises the brunette. She wonders if maybe it makes her seem judgmental, the fact that she had just asked Chloe about a _boyfriend_ specifically. The redhead doesn’t seem offended, though, so she tries not to dwell. It’s not like Beca has never met anybody gay before, but those of her friends who are seemed to very slowly and cautiously come out. High schoolers can be mean sometimes, so Beca understands the hesitation. But Chloe hadn’t hesitated at all. She’d just openly and unapologetically been herself, the same way she has all day, and Beca can’t help but find it almost captivating.

“How about you?” Chloe asks. “A significant other?”

“Nope,” Beca shakes her head. “My ex and I broke up a little bit ago now. I guess same as you, though, we weren’t right for each other. So it’s no big.”

“Ex boyfriend? Girlfriend?” Chloe prompts, digging her spoon into her yogurt again.

“Boyfriend,” Beca responds quickly, almost _too_ quickly.

“Did he ever bring you here?”

“What, like on a date? Yeah. There isn’t a whole lot to do around here. Frozen yogurt or movies, those are your choices.”

Beca sees Chloe’s brow raise as she eyes her across the table. “So you brought me on a date to the same place your ex brought you?”

The brunette’s expression falls. “What? You think this is a…” She pauses, motioning between the two of them with her spoon. Chloe giggles in response.

“I’m kidding, Beca. A frozen yogurt date would be nice, though.”

Beca feels her body relax at the confirmation. Honesty, Beca hasn’t really explored her sexuality yet. She’s sixteen years old, her dating life has been pretty sparse so far. She has sometimes questioned whether she’s staring a little too longingly when a beautiful girl walks by, but she has always shrugged off the thought. She has kissed Stacie during spin the bottle, too, but who hasn’t kissed Stacie? She isn’t against the possibility that she could be with a girl, though. She just hasn’t really explored it yet, that’s all.

“Phew.” Beca pretends to wipe off her forehead. “I don’t want you to think I’m lame enough to bring you somewhere like this. I’d find a way better way to woo you.” There’s a goofy smile on her face, though it falls some as Beca replays her words in her head. Is she _flirting_?

Chloe’s soft giggle sounds kind of flirty in return. Beca doesn’t really know what’s happening… She does know she doesn’t hate it, though.

What had the potential to be an awkward conversation seems to pass quickly once Chloe changes the subject, and Beca finds that Chloe is good at that; at helping her to relax. She doesn’t know why. They finish up their yogurts, and head out of the building side by side.

“What are you doing now?” Chloe asks, at the exact same time as Beca blurts out a quick, “Want to come over?”

Chloe raises a brow, lips tugging into an almost amused smile. “You really want to hang out with me, huh?”

“What? Pfft. No.” Beca responds, though even she hears how forced it is. Chloe gives her a look, one that says ‘come _on_ ,’ and Beca finds herself playfully rolling her eyes in response. “Okay, fine. Yes, I do, I want to hang out with you.”

“Okay, where?” The redhead wiggles her brows, leaning closer. “Somewhere you can woo me better?” Evidently, Chloe doesn’t have any issues with sharing personal space. Beca finds herself blushing in response.

“You could come to my house? My mom’s working, so I’d just be hanging out and watching a movie or something anyway. You could watch with me.” Beca suggests, eyeing Chloe almost hopefully. It’s a lie, of course. Beca Mitchell doesn’t watch movies. She knows it’s a little weird, though, so hopefully this keeps her covered. She sees the way the other girl’s brows are wiggling again.

“Wow. Fro-yo _and_ a movie? You really are pulling out all the stops here, Beca.”

The brunette’s cheeks grow hot. Why doesn’t she know how to keep her cool around this girl?

She has no idea that Chloe thinks it’s just about the most adorable thing she’s witnessed.

“A movie sounds good,” Chloe nods her head, motioning away from the building. “Lead the way. Can we walk?”

They can walk there. Beca’s mom lives close to the school. Her dad is a professor at the local college, so he lives on campus. Basically, wherever she goes, there’s some form of learning institute around. It’s really not ideal, since Beca has no desire to go to college – she wants to move to LA and produce music. She has yet to break that to her parents; they’re positive she’ll be going to Barden University.

***

“Your house is really nice,” Chloe comments as they enter. Beca thinks it’s weird, since her mom isn’t there and Chloe doesn’t have to charm anybody. It’s not bad weird, though. It’s just different. Chloe is different, in fact. Definitely not in a bad way, either.

“Thanks,” she shrugs, dumping her backpack down on the couch. She notices the way Chloe sets hers down beside it and begins to remove her jacket. Her shoes come off next, and Beca thinks it’s kind of sweet, the way she’s making herself so at home. She likes that, she doesn’t know why.

She doesn’t know much today, does she?

“You want a soda or something?” Beca offers. Chloe nods her head.

“Sure. Do you have ginger ale?”

Beca disappears into the kitchen, returning with two cans of Canada Dry and two glasses, setting them both down on the coffee table. She likes the fact that she returns to find Chloe comfortably on the couch with her feet tucked up underneath her, controller in hand and pointed at the TV. Evidently, she’d taken it upon herself to switch that on, too. Beca doesn’t mind.

“What?” Chloe asks, and it’s only at that point that Beca realizes she’s smiling.

“What? Oh. Nothing, nothing,” she brunette promises, flopping down onto the couch beside her. “What do you want to watch? You can pick. You can control Netflix with that remote, too.”

Chloe has already found the setting for it, and is skimming through the recommended options.

“Do you like horror movies?” Chloe asks, glancing toward Beca.

She doesn’t want to admit that she doesn’t like movies in general. She doesn’t respond, which prompts Chloe to raise a brow.

“Comedies?”

Again, no response.

“What do you like?”

Beca shrugs. “I don’t know. I like music better than movies.”

“But you have a favorite movie, right?”

The brunette begins to chew on her bottom lip.

“You don’t like movies?”

No response.

Chloe’s laugh is not a judgmental one. It’s a little surprised, but not judgmental. It makes Beca laugh, too. She has found that Chloe’s moods are kind of infectious, and her laugh is like music. It’s adorable. Chloe is adorable, in fact.

“I just don’t see the point in them. I get bored before the ending,” she finally admits with a small shrug of her shoulder.

“You’ve just never had a good movie experience,” Chloe says, going back to flicking through the various options on the screen. “Nobody has ever sat with their arm wrapped around you while you cuddled up together and watched a movie you both love. That’s the best.”

“Is that what we’re going to do now?” Beca hears the words leave her own lips, though she wonders who put them there. It is so _not_ Beca Mitchell to be so bold. She wonders if she can play it off as a joke.

Chloe’s grin is soft as she nods her head. “If that’s what you want to do, then yes, that’s what we’re going to do.” She continues on through the different movie options. Finally, she settles on Bad Moms, promising that Beca will find it hilarious. The brunette thinks that she probably isn’t going to be paying too much attention to the television, anyway.

Chloe’s backpack begins to vibrate, and the redhead leans over to unzip it, pulling out her phone. “Shoot. I didn’t tell my mom where I was going,” she mumbles, chewing on the faint remnants of her lipgloss as she answers the call.

“Mom, hey. I’m really sorry, I got caught up and lost track of time.”

Beca doesn’t know what Mrs. Beale is saying, of course. She can only hear Chloe’s side of the conversation.

“No, I’m fine. I’m with a friend actually. Yeah.”

She notices the way Chloe’s lips settle into a small, contented smile.

“Her name is Beca. Yeah, she’s really sweet.” Blue eyes flicker over toward her, and Beca wonders if it’s suddenly warmer in the room or if she’s blushing again. Of course it’s the latter. She hears Chloe giggle softly, nodding her head in spite of the fact that her mother can’t see her. “I will, I promise. Okay, love you too, mom. Bye!”

Chloe hangs up the phone, and Beca glances over at her with a raised brow. “Wrong number?” She jokes. Chloe’s eyes glisten as she softly laughs at her terrible joke. Beca evidently spends too much time around her own father.

“My mom just wanted to check I was okay.” The redhead slips her phone back through the gap in the zipper of her backpack, then sets it down on the floor and out of the way. “She also wants to hear all about you when I get home.”

“Oh? What are you gonna tell her?”

Chloe shrugs. “I don’t know.” She sits back comfortably, and Beca sees the hint of a smile threatening the corners of her lips. It’s completely smooth, almost seamless, the way Chloe lifts her arm and drapes it over Beca’s shoulders. The brunette finds herself scooting closer, curling into her side. “I’ll tell her that you were super nice to me all day. And that you took me on a frozen yogurt date, _and_ a movie date.” She winks over in Beca’s direction. “And that you’re maybe the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen.”

The words are bold and blunt, though Beca almost isn’t even surprised. It doesn’t seem that Chloe has any problems with speaking her mind. Quite the opposite, in fact.

“The prettiest girl you’ve ever seen?” Beca questions, brow quirking. Entirely unsurprisingly, her cheeks have grown hot once more. She can only imagine the deep shade of red spreading across them, though Chloe doesn’t seem to mind.

“That’s what I said,” Chloe confirms with a nod of her head. She looks down at Beca with a smile that almost melts her, then turns her attention back to the television.

For the most part, they watch the movie together in silence, and Beca does actually find that she kind of enjoys it. It’s funny, and Chloe’s laugh is infectious, so she has found herself chuckling along with her. She missed a certain part, because Chloe’s fingertips had begun to brush delicately against her bare arm, and Beca couldn’t focus on anything else, but she brought herself back to reality quickly.

Once the movie ends, Beca wonders what’s next, and finds that she’s quietly disappointed when Chloe announces that she has to go home. It makes sense; it was Chloe’s first day, her parents will want to hear all about it over dinner like a _normal_ family, Beca is sure of it. They’ll see each other tomorrow, though, so that helps to keep her pout at bay.

“I had a great day with you, Beca,” Chloe says appreciatively as they reach the door. The redhead has told her that she lives close by, and has insisted that she’ll be fine to walk home alone, even though Beca has tried to tell her she’ll walk her.

For the second time this afternoon, Beca surprises herself with her response. “I did, too. I wouldn’t be against a second date.” She thinks her tone is playful, and she’s sure deep down that it’s a joke.

Chloe’s lips curve into a soft smirk. “So it was a date, huh?”

Playfully, Beca rolls her eyes, her near permanent blush of course returning. “Get out of here.”

The redhead responds with a bright grin, before holding her phone out towards her. “Put your number in,” she instructs. Beca does as she’s told, then hands the device back over. Almost instantly, she hears her phone begin to ring somewhere in the living room. “That’s me,” Chloe explains, tapping her phone screen and effectively ending the buzzing from the room. “Now you have my number, too.”

“What should I do with it?” Beca asks, eyes on the other girl. Chloe has begun to back away from the door already, but shoots Beca a knowing glance in the process.

“See you at school, Beca,” the redhead says, before she’s turning to begin walking off in the direction of home.

Beca finds herself watching her for a moment, before she closes the door and makes her way back into the house. Her phone has begun to buzz before she’s even made it fully into the living room, but she reaches to grab it as soon as she enters, not recognizing the number on her screen.

“Hello?” She answers, a little uncertainly.

Beca recognizes Chloe’s voice right away.

“So, about that second date?”


	2. Bonus Chapter (Bechloe Week 2019)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beca and Chloe's friendship progresses, and jealous!Beca just can't help but be super jealous.
> 
> (But if you ask her, she's totally not jealous...)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For Bechloe Week 2019 day 4: High School.

Beca is guilty of having fallen asleep during first period on numerous occasions before. Most of the time, it had to do with her parents’ divorce, with the way it would keep her up at night as she worried about her broken family. She’d generally find herself in the nurse’s office, faking sickness and going home to get a little shut-eye on the couch until her mother returned home from work, but she can’t do that today, because she knows her current exhaustion is entirely self-inflicted.

Well, _Chloe_ -inflicted, but still.

Last night had been spent with the two texting back and forth for hours, even after Beca’s eyes had begun to grow heavy and she’d dropped her phone flat on her face at least three times. Already, Beca feels like she knows more about Chloe than she does about a good handful of her friends at Barden High. She knows that, much like herself, Chloe is an only child. Her mother teaches art while her father is in the medical field, and that when Chloe is older, she’d like to venture into a career in music, though she isn’t sure exactly what just yet. She learns that the redhead enjoys singing, and even prompts a voice recording out of her that Beca has admittedly replayed more than once since receiving it. Her birthday, she learns, is in June, and that she was born in Portland, Oregon, before her family relocated to Georgia.

And these are all of the things Beca is thinking about, replaying on a loop in her tired mind, when she feels a harsh nudge to her forearm. The notion has her all but face-planting the table, and she hears the way both Jessica and Ashley snicker from a couple tables away.

“Earth to Beca,” Aubrey says impatiently, her blue eyes narrowed in on the shorter girl. “Seriously, what has gotten into you today? Are you sick or something?”

A soft, pale hand reaches up to press to her forehead, and Beca swats it quickly away.

“Stop, I’m fine. I just didn’t sleep very well last night, that’s all,” she grumbles, beginning to collect her unused pen and notebook from the tabletop in front of her to stuff messily into her backpack, the same way as usual.

“What are you doing? Class isn’t over yet. Ms. Summers just went to grab something from the teacher’s lounge.”

It occurs to her that she probably should start paying a little more attention. A quick shift of her eyes shows her that Aubrey’s page is filled with neatly organized notes, while her own only contains a scribble of today’s date and three lines of messy, incomplete sentences.

Aubrey is glaring at her expectantly, as if she’s waiting for more of an explanation.

Beca decides to deflect; she’s good at that.

“I thought you were pissed at me still,” the brunette frowns, brow arching in the other girl’s direction.

“Well,” Aubrey responds, sitting upright and neatly shuffling the papers in front of her. “That was yesterday. I’m giving you the benefit of the doubt, since I’m hoping that you’ve come to your senses again today.”

Her own eye roll is impossible to contain, and Beca glares up at the blonde with a look of slight impatience. “What is so wrong with hanging out with someone new?”

When she feels backed into a corner, this is what Aubrey does. She straightens her back, pushes her shoulders upright and acts like any comment or question has fallen right the way over her head. Beca notices that she’s doing it right now.

“Well?”

A small, exasperated sigh leaves the blonde’s lips. “There’s nothing _wrong_ with it, it’s not that. It’s just that the new girl is _weird_ , Beca. For starters, she has unicorns on her pencil case. How old are we, twelve?” Aubrey scoffs, volume lowering some. “And she keeps looking over here, it’s like she’s obsessed with us or something.”

Okay, so maybe the unicorn pencil case thing is a little strange, but it’s not like it’s covered in a fluffy pink lining and plays the theme song to My Little Pony. In actuality, Beca thinks that it’s sweet. Chloe isn’t afraid to do her own thing, to stand out from the crowd, and Beca admires that. She has always considered herself different, too. It’s nice to see somebody else falling into that category alongside her. No one said different had to be lonely, right?

“You’re so dramatic,” Beca huffs, “She’s not obsessed with anybody. She’s sweet, you just have to get to know her.”

“Oh, and you know her so well already?”

Beca opens her mouth to respond, to say that yes, actually, she _does_ know Chloe Beale pretty well, their short amount of time together considered. But a lift of her head has her widened eyes locking across the room with those ocean blue orbs, the ones that filled Beca’s mind the whole night, and she simply feels herself blushing, an almost bashful smile curving onto her lips in response to the wave Chloe sends her way.

All Aubrey manages to do is look between the two of them, an expression of sheer questioning and confusion etching itself onto her features, before Ms. Summers is letting herself back into the room, and God forbid teacher’s pet Aubrey Posen is caught _talking_ in class.

“Did you find what you were looking for, Ms. Summers?” The blonde chirps, and all Beca can think as she glares at her from the corner of her eye is how hypocritical it was of her to comment on Chloe’s enthusiastic class contributions yesterday.

***

Somehow, Beca manages to keep herself from falling asleep again. Admittedly, she spends a lot of time with her gaze trained on the back of Chloe’s head, on those fiery curls that fall down her back with no real precision, and if she thinks about it hard enough, she can remember the way they tickled her own shoulder as she sat comfortably tucked against the other girl’s side yesterday evening, Bad Moms playing in the background.

Chloe is seated in the front row, and Beca finds that she’s disappointed when she exits the room to see that the redhead is already at the other end of the hallway.

It’s not until lunchtime that they actually get the chance to speak, despite sharing classes together the whole morning.

“Hey,” Beca greets coolly as she slides in line beside the other girl, tray of food already in hand. She feels bad for the way Chloe seems to jump, as if she’s expecting something unwanted to happen, though she instantly relaxes as she realizes who’s beside her. “Sorry, it’s just me. Are you avoiding me or something?”

There’s a light expression on Chloe’s face, and her tone seems to match it as she responds, head shaking briefly. “No, of course not. You’ve been with your friends, and I didn’t want to cramp your style.”

Dark brows tug tightly together as she eyes the other girl. “I hope you’re joking.”

It’s kind of sad really, the way Chloe feels like she has to stay out of the way, but the redhead’s cheery tone never drops, her expression never falters. “It’s okay, Bec. I don’t mind us just hanging out outside of school.”

For some reason, the response is almost like a punch to the stomach, and apparently the look on Beca’s face gives that away, because Chloe quickly continues.

“It’s not that I don’t want to hang out with you, but I know your friends don’t really like me, and I get it. It’s okay, I promise.”

“I’m a little offended that you think I care what they think,” Beca frowns, gaze trained on the redhead. It’s admittedly very hard to look away from her, especially from this close a proximity.

Chloe doesn’t get the chance to respond before the sound of Aubrey’s voice is ringing across the crowded room.

“Beca! Come on, we saved your seat,” Aubrey calls, to which Beca whirls around to see she and Stacie motioning to the gap between the two of them at their regular lunch table. It’s almost an instant, knee-jerk reaction for Beca to dutifully head over there, but she stops herself before she’s taken more than a step, simply shaking her head in their direction.

“Is she for real?” She hears Stacie hiss, though Beca doesn’t pay much mind. Instead, she turns back to face Chloe, a shoulder shrugging nonchalantly. “There. Now they don’t like me, either.”

***

Lunch is easy. There’s no talk of which boys are ‘so cute’, or snarky remarks made about the other girls’ outfit choices. It’s just she and Chloe, sitting at the same table they’d occupied yesterday, and eating their lunches in breezy, comfortable quiet.

“I told my mom about you,” Chloe finally says, picking up the fresh apple from her tray and taking a small bite. The way the corners of her lips bend into a smile as she chews tells Beca there’s more to the story.

“Oh?” The brunette prompts, watching her across the table. “What did you tell her?”

It’s possible she just wants Chloe to repeat all of the things she said yesterday, the ones that made her cheeks heat up and her stomach do that weird thing where it flipped a full 360 degrees.

Chloe swallows, eyes on her apple and lips still curved upward. “I can’t tell you that.”

“Oh, come on.”

“Nope! All you need to know is that she likes you.”

“She’s never even met me.”

“Well, she knows I’m a good judge of character. She trusts my opinion.”

Although Beca shoots a playful glare across the table, she knows her pale cheeks have grown just a touch more rosy, because Chloe _likes_ her, and she can’t help but love knowing that.

She doesn’t know why.

***

Beca has never _loved_ school, and she has no plans to continue her education after graduation, but more so than usual today, the final bell can’t ring soon enough. She opts to ditch her friends and sit by Chloe throughout the rest of their classes, but it’s not like they can really talk – they’re in school, after all.

She has no further altercations with Aubrey, and has all but forgotten about her snarky remarks by the time she and Chloe are walking home from school together, though her phone buzzes in her pocket and catches her attention.

**_Aubrey, 2:11 PM:_**  
We’re going to run out of chances for you, Beca.

Beca frowns at her phone, considering ignoring the text message, though finds herself eventually typing up a quick response.

**_Beca, 2:13 PM:_**  
Drama queen.

She sees Aubrey beginning to type back before she even has the opportunity to close out of her messages, though the dots eventually disappear, and Beca finally locks her screen, going back to paying attention to Chloe.

“What are we doing tonight?” Beca asks casually. She doesn’t mean to be presumptuous, but the way Chloe grins back at her tells her that perhaps that’s the way she’s coming across, so Beca awkwardly clears her throat, shoulder shrugging as if it’s no big deal. “I mean, you know, if you want to hang out.”

“I don’t know yet,” Chloe responds, “But we can hang out. I like hanging out with you.”

Beca knows the way her cheeks keeping darkening a shade is kind of pathetic, but at this point, she has almost given up on even caring. It seems to just be her natural reaction around Chloe, so there’s really no point in fighting it. Her phone buzzes in her hand, distracting her from her own insecurity, anyway.

**_Aubrey, 2:18 PM:_**  
Look, we just miss you, and we don’t want to feel like you’re pulling away from us.

Sure, Aubrey may be kind of a bitch sometimes, but in reality, Beca knows she has a good heart. She’s a caring, genuine person, and maybe her responses aren’t always the most appropriate, but Beca knows she just feels threatened by Chloe’s presence, and she can’t help but feel kind of guilty for the way she’s been blowing her and the other girls off the past couple days, so she begins to type up a response, and has no idea that Chloe is watching her almost pained expression from the corner of her eye.

**_Beca, 2:20 PM:_**  
I know. I’m not going anywhere, okay? I just think you need to give Chloe a chance.

“Who’s that?” Chloe questions, her tone almost sing-song sounding. Most people would probably mind their business, but not Chloe. It’s clear already that Chloe doesn’t do that, and for some reason, Beca doesn’t mind.

She doesn’t know why, she just… Doesn’t.

“Aubrey,” Beca frowns, biting back the sigh that threatens to fall from her pursed lips. Things would be so much easier if they could all just hang out together, she thinks.

When her phone buzzes again, it’s almost like Aubrey has read her mind.

**_Aubrey, 2:22 PM:_**  
Okay, you’re right. Why don’t you bring her to the party tonight?

In all of the Chloe confusion, Beca had completely forgotten about David’s birthday. His parents are out of town, and his party has been the talk of the school for weeks now. Admittedly, Beca has been pretty excited about it; it’ll be one of the first unchaperoned Friday night parties, something of a rite of passage, in her sixteen year old opinion.

“What’s wrong?” Chloe’s tone is laced with concern now, and Beca sees the way her blue eyes have softened as she glances toward her.

“There’s a party tonight.”

Chloe’s expression falls further. “Oh.”

“You know that guy, David? Blonde kid who was sitting a few tables across from you in English class this morning.” Beca forces herself to ignore the fact that she’d watched Chloe intently enough to know exactly where she was sitting and who was seated close by. “It’s his birthday, and he’s having a party at his house tonight.”

Chloe nods her head, and Beca tries not to pay attention to the way her heart aches when she notices the look of anguish creeping into the other girl’s eyes. They somehow look bluer; Beca doesn’t know whether it’s the light or the sadness slowly engulfing them. Either way, they’re drawing her in even more than usual. “Oh,” Chloe repeats, and it’s obvious she’s trying to sound just as chipper as she normally does. “Well, you have to go to that. Maybe we can hang out tomorrow instead?”

“Tomorrow’s Saturday, I’m supposed to go somewhere with my dad and Sheila,” Beca murmurs, still not entirely thrilled about the whole situation between her father and step-monster. She perks up as she continues. “But you should come with me. To the party tonight.”

For the first time, Beca notices that Chloe is the one who’s blushing.

“Bec, I don’t think that would go down too well. Your friends avoided us like the plague today, I doubt they’re gonna be too happy if you walk into a party with me.”

“No,” Beca shakes her head quickly, shoving her phone beneath Chloe’s face, “Aubrey literally just told me to invite you. See?”

“Really?” An auburn brow raises a fraction, and Beca observes as Chloe’s eyes scan the words on the screen. She pauses for a second or two, mouth twisting into a soft frown. “I don’t know, Beca.”

“Come on, Chlo. It’ll be fun,” Beca tries, though hears her own words and instantly frowns in response. “Well, no, it’ll probably be lame. But we can go together, and you can meet some new people outside of our classes. Come with me?” She doesn’t know why it’s so important to her that they go, but for some reason, it just is.

Fortunately, Chloe doesn’t take too much more convincing.

***

Beca’s dad is driving her to the party, so Chloe gives her her address, and they make a quick stop at her house to pick Chloe up on the way. Beforehand, the redhead had sent Beca a few different outfit options, and it had occurred to her that Chloe has probably never actually been to a high school party before. It makes sense that she’s nervous, but Beca doesn’t want her to be. She wants her to relax and have fun.

The way her stomach flips as she sees Chloe exit her house makes her feel kind of hypocritical for thinking so, though.

The redhead makes her way almost nervously toward the car, and Beca can’t help the way her eyes train themselves on her the entire way. Chloe is wearing a navy romper, with sleeves that stop about three-quarters of the way down her arms. There’s a pattern of some kind dotted throughout the fabric, white polka-dots, Beca thinks. Maybe stars? It opens into a V shape at her chest, and ties with a simple belt in the middle. Dark brown platform heeled sandals complete the look, and Jesus, Beca has never experienced anything quite so breathtaking in her entire life.

“Hi, Mr. Mitchell,” the redhead greets cheerfully as she opens up the door, her voice cutting into Beca’s thoughts. It’s only at that point that she realizes her mouth is hanging open, jaw practically hitting the floor. She closes it quickly, busying herself with her fingers brushing through her neatly flat ironed hair. “I’m Chloe Beale, it’s so nice to meet you!” The redhead climbs into the backseat beside Beca – normally, Beca would’ve taken the passenger seat, but she didn’t want Chloe to feel awkward sitting in the back alone. She realizes Chloe Beale doesn’t do awkward, though, so it wouldn’t have mattered.

“You too, Chloe,” her father responds brightly. “Are you girls excited for your party?”

One thing Beca has to hand to her parents is that they’re pretty cool. They trust her enough to know that, despite the lack of responsible adults at David’s house tonight, she’ll behave herself, and they’re fine with her attending.

“I am!” Chloe chirps back, “What about you, Beca?” She’s fastening her seatbelt in place, and finally makes eye contact with the brunette. “Are you?”

Beca has to clear her throat before she can respond. It suddenly feels dry, and like she could use a gallon or two of water. “Oh, yeah. Stoked,” she agrees.

Mr. Mitchell begins to drive, his stereo playing quietly, and Chloe catches Beca’s attention again as they sit side by side in the backseat.

“Do I look okay?” Chloe asks in a tone that Beca perceives as somewhat sheepish. It isn’t something she’s experienced from Chloe yet, though if she really thinks about it, she has only known the other girl a couple of days, so it makes sense.

“Are you kidding?” Beca quirks a brow. “You look incredible, Chlo.”

The redhead seems to relax a little bit, the smile easing onto her lips an entirely natural one. “Thank you. You do, too.”

Beca is wearing a plaid skirt, mostly red, and has paired it with a black, short-sleeved shirt. Her black platform boots are the final touch, and Beca has styled her normally wavy hair into a sleekly straightened finish. Her dark eyeliner is layered on thickly, of course. If she squints, she can tell that Chloe is wearing makeup tonight, too.

David’s house isn’t too far away, and they’re definitely not the first ones there when they arrive. The first thing Beca notices is Aubrey and Stacie standing by the front door, red solo cups in hand. As soon as Aubrey’s eyes land on the car, she quickly slides the cup behind her back, waving enthusiastically with her free hand toward Mr. Mitchell. He simply grins as he turns toward the backseat.

“Remember, two alcoholic drinks maximum tonight, Beca,” he says, “And you call me or your mom if there are any problems and you need one of us to come pick you up, okay?”

Although Beca scoffs, she nods her head in agreement, before quickly climbing out of the car, with Chloe following along behind her.

“Thank you so much for the ride, Mr. Mitchell!” Chloe beams as she closes the door behind them, and Beca hears her father telling them to have a good night before he starts up the engine and begins to pull away.

“You really do look really nice, Beca,” Chloe comments as they approach the doorway, both Aubrey and Stacie’s eyes practically burning into them, though Beca can see the blonde trying to force a smile, so at least that’s something.

“Eh, this old thing,” Beca shrugs, waving a hand nonchalantly. She silently wonders why she’s referring to her brand new outfit as ‘this old thing’, but she chooses not to voice it.

Aubrey greets each girl with a hug, and Stacie follows suit.

“Do you drink, Chloe?” Aubrey questions, blue eyes piercing into the other girl. Chloe responds with a short shake of her head.

“Not usually, but it’s a party, so,” she shrugs, offering the two girls a bright smile. Beca recognizes the judgment in Aubrey’s stare, but she at least smiles back at her, so Beca chooses not to comment.

***

Save for a few awkward glares here and there, Chloe’s presence at the party seems to go down pretty smoothly. Most of Beca’s friends are nice to her, and Beca can’t help but think how two-faced that seems, considering the comments in the lunchroom on Thursday. They’re giving Chloe a second chance, though, she figures, so Beca decides they deserve one, too.

Beca isn’t a big drinker. She has one vodka cranberry, but sticks to soda for most of the night, and Chloe does the same. However, the same cannot be said for most of the others.

(Seriously, if the cops were to pull up at any point, they’d be screwed. But Beca tries not to think about that. Which is easy, because focusing on Chloe is much more appealing.)

It seems she’s not the only one that thinks so, of course. Not only is Chloe the mysterious new girl, but she’s undeniably gorgeous, so the stares she receives from pretty much every guy she passes by are anything but surprising, though Beca can’t help but feel.. _something_ in response. Jealousy?

No, it’s not jealousy. She and Chloe are friends, there’s no reason for jealousy.

“Damn. How about you and I go upstairs a little later?” Ryan Michaels asks as he passes Chloe by, making no attempt to hide the way he very obviously checks her out. A fire of rage instantly begins to burn inside of Beca’s body, and she has to bite the inside of her cheek to keep herself from saying anything. But Chloe just flashes him a smile and a shake of her head, before he shrugs and stalks off to find his friends.

Okay, so maybe it is jealousy. Whatever.

“Everyone’s nice, huh?” Chloe comments, her tone somewhat surprised, though her expression is as light and cheerful as ever.

“I told you,” Beca shrugs in response, wondering if it’s time yet for their second alcoholic drink.

She watches Chloe’s gaze drift across the room, before her finger points toward the nearest corner. “What are they doing?”

Beca drops a shoulder to look around, eyes landing on Stacie and a few others. “Spin the bottle,” Beca responds, slight frown on her face. “It’s Stacie’s favorite game.”

“People actually play that?” Chloe’s soft giggle is just as melodic as ever, Beca notices. “I thought that was just in those cheesy high school movies.”

“Well, maybe we’re in a cheesy high school movie,” Beca shrugs.

“Then maybe we should go play.”

There’s a sparkle to Chloe’s crystal blue eyes, one that tells her that in spite of the small smirk on her lips, she’s actually deadly serious. Beca quirks a brow as she eyes her back. “You really want to?”

“Sure. I’ve never played before,” Chloe admits, and Beca can’t think of a good enough reason to say no.

“Mind if we join?” The brunette asks once the two have approached the small circle. Stacie scoots over to make room beside her, and Aubrey is the one to respond. Aubrey’s kind of the leader, she always seems to get the final say.

“Nope! Come on,” the blonde shifts to the side, “Chloe, you can come and sit by me.”

The invitation is kind of surprising, but Beca doesn’t question it, and slots into the gap beside Stacie, with Chloe making herself comfortable by Aubrey’s side, too.

“Whose turn was it?” Stacie questions, picking up her red cup and taking a large swig of her drink. It’s safe to say she isn’t sticking to any two-drinks-maximum rule, though that doesn’t surprise Beca in the slightest.

“Mine,” Jackson pipes up, smug grin forming on his lips as he leans forward to spin the bottle, eyes training themselves on Chloe. It doesn’t land on her, and Beca doesn’t understand exactly why she feels so relieved as she watches Jackson bend across the middle to lock lips with Lilly.

“So you just spin and kiss the person it lands on, right?” Chloe questions, a look of amusement overtaking her features. Aubrey nods in response.

“Right. You go next, Chloe. Whoever the top points at, that’s the person you kiss.”

Chloe shrugs a shoulder, before arching forward to take her turn. It lands on Jackson’s friend, Toby, and while he cheers triumphantly, Jackson audibly whines. A few people chuckle as Toby eagerly leans over to connect his lips with Chloe’s. It’s just a small peck, but Chloe’s cheeks have reddened some as she pulls back, and she looks a little sheepishly in Beca’s direction. She doesn’t seem uncomfortable, though.

They go around the circle, each taking their turn, each leaning across the middle to kiss the person they landed on. Most people just place small pecks against each other’s lips, the same way Aubrey and Beca do when Aubrey spins and it lands on her, though the boys of course whoop and cheer just as immaturely as anyone would expect, and both girls playfully roll their eyes as they part. Stacie, of course, has her own approach to the game, and there are no gentle pecks in sight whenever it’s her turn. It surprises literally nobody, besides maybe Chloe, when she unashamedly makes out with whoever she lands on. The alcohol is flowing, and as Jackson takes his next turn, it seems Stacie has started something of a theme.

“Fuck yeah,” he smirks as the bottle neck stops dead on Chloe. The redhead grins, and as she and Jackson lock lips for the second time, Beca notices their kiss lasts a little longer than before. She doesn’t really see any tongue action, but it’s definitely more than just a peck, and something inside of Beca seems entirely opposed.

Which is stupid. It’s so stupid. Because what right does she have to feel any kind of way, right? Still, she finds herself clearing her throat uncomfortably, the two finally breaking off from their kiss.

It’s a repetitive game, Beca has never really seen the fun in it after the first round, but it seems to continue forever, the circle widening as more people notice and decide to slot themselves in to join. When Chloe spins again, the bottle points directly at Jackson, and Beca bites back a groan of exasperation as the two connect in the middle yet again.

“You two want to just get a room or something?” Stacie jokes, leaning forward to take her turn.

The next time it gets to Jackson, Beca is sure the laws of probability will be in her favor. There are at least twenty people here by now, there’s no way he’s going to land on Chloe _again_.

Evidently, she’d thought too soon.

“Are you kidding me?” She says audibly this time. A few people look her way, and Beca clears her throat awkwardly. “They’re just… They’ve done it a thousand times now, surely they’re getting bored.”

“I agree,” Stacie pipes up, setting down her empty cup. “No more pecks, you have to make out this time.”

Beca’s eyes instantly shoot toward Chloe, and she hears Jackson’s voice from her other side.

“Nice. You down?”

She sees the way blue eyes flicker toward her for the briefest of seconds, before Chloe shrugs a shoulder nonchalantly. “Sure.”

And that thought from earlier, the thought that it can’t be jealousy, is suddenly overwritten entirely as Chloe and Jackson sit forward and begin very much making out across the circle.

“Okay,” Beca mutters, pushing herself back from her spot. “Time for another drink.” She scoots quickly away from the circle, pushing herself up from the floor and heading quickly toward the kitchen.

“What’s her problem?” She hears one person ask, and another responds with a simple, “Dunno. Probably has a thing for Jackson.”

Beca doesn’t care, though. They can think what they want. All she knows is that she’s done with this game. She’s done watching those two make out like they’re suddenly boyfriend and girlfriend.

And it has absolutely nothing to do with Jackson.

***

Beca chooses not to return to the game, not right away. She fixes herself another vodka cranberry, and mopes a little bit as she stands in the kitchen among various other people, most of whom are too preoccupied with one another to notice.

“Beca?”

The voice coming from behind her startles her some, though as Beca whirls around, eyes landing on Chloe – whose shimmery lipgloss is no longer contained just to her lips – she feels her shoulders slumping.

“Oh,” She takes a sip from her cup, “Hey.”

“Hey,” Chloe’s tone is different somehow. She doesn’t sound sad, but she doesn’t sound happy. She sounds almost concerned, in fact. “Are you okay? You disappeared, and I was waiting for you to come back.”

“Just didn’t feel like playing anymore,” Beca shrugs, trying to sound less annoyed than she feels. Mostly because she doesn’t have a _reason_ to feel the way she does. But, here she is. Feeling it anyway.

“You know it’s just a game, right?” Chloe continues, taking a small step closer to the brunette. “I didn’t actually want to kiss that guy so many times.”

“What do I care?” Beca shoots back, the annoyance she’s failed to hide now even more evident in her words.

For a brief moment, Chloe looks hurt, and Beca wonders if she’s about to turn and walk away from her. But she doesn’t. Instead, she feels a soft hand taking ahold of her own, and Beca glances up at her with a raised brow.

“I think you care,” Chloe says, voice a little softer. Her expression has evened out, and the small smile on her lips is an almost apologetic one. Beca doesn’t like that Chloe feels like she’s done anything wrong. She hasn’t, she doesn’t owe her an explanation. “It’s not that fun a game anyway, we can just stay in here.”

A dark brow lifts in the redhead’s direction. “You seemed to be enjoying yourself plenty.”

“I wasn’t,” Chloe shakes her head. She pauses momentarily, and there’s something of a stillness between the two of them. It isn’t uncomfortable, though Beca feels her heart beginning to beat a little harder as her eyes lock with Chloe’s. “Can I tell you a secret?”

Beca doesn’t respond. She just looks up at her, waiting for her to continue.

“I had a reason for wanting to play that game.”

The brunette remains quiet, gaze still up on the other girl. The way her brow is still raised prompts Chloe to continue.

“There was someone I wanted to kiss. Someone specific.”

It doesn’t occur to Beca until now that their hands are still locked with one another’s, their fingers interlaced, but she can’t help but notice now just how comfortable it is, how natural it feels. Chloe just has that kind of presence. That calming kind, even if she can make Beca’s heart beat harder than it ever has done before. Chloe takes her silence as a cue to keep going.

“You know I’m talking about you, right?” There’s that bashful look again, it pairs well with how soft her voice is now. “I wanted to kiss you, Bec.”

Suddenly, Beca understands why her heart is racing the way it is. She knows why her hand is sweating as it holds onto Chloe’s, and she’s reminded that that feeling before, the one that adamantly was _not_ jealousy… Well, it most definitely was. Because she wants to kiss Chloe, too. There’s been something intriguing about the other girl right from the start, from the moment Beca laid eyes on her.

Beca hasn’t said anything for a few minutes now, and Chloe is beginning to look a little awkward. “Um. Yeah, so anyway,” she begins again, her throat clearing quietly, “We can go back to the game if you want. Or we can just hang out here. Or I can call my mom to come pick me up if I just made things super awkward between–”

Chloe doesn’t get to finish her rant, because before Beca can even register exactly what she’s doing, she’s taking a step closer, her hand releasing from the other girl’s to rise toward her face, palm resting delicately against her cheek. Beca doesn’t realize she even _has_ any moves, but it’s pretty smooth really, the way she stands up a little taller, pressing her slightly parted lips against Chloe’s. 

It doesn’t last long. It’s more than a peck, but it doesn’t last long, and soon the brunette is pulling back, though her hand stays in place against the other girl’s cheek, fingertips gently stroking against pale skin.

“Oh,” Chloe finally says, her cheeks a deep shade of red. Beca notices the way Chloe’s teeth sink down slightly into her bottom lip, the way the corners arch upward, like she can’t even contain her smile.

It’s possible that people are looking their way, but if they are, Beca doesn’t notice. Nor does she care, because Beca realizes she has wanted to do that since the moment she laid eyes on Chloe Beale.

Neither says anything to begin with. They just kind of stare, apparently both pleasantly surprised.

Finally, Chloe breaks the silence. “This doesn’t count as our second date, right?”

The question causes Beca’s shoulders to relax, her lips to curve upward the same way as Chloe’s. “No,” she shakes her head briefly, “I told you I wanted to woo you, and I know I can do that better than this.”

Chloe’s soft giggle rings out, her hand creeping its way toward Beca’s again. “Mm, maybe.”

“Definitely,” Beca promises, suddenly much more cheerful. And maybe a little bashful, too. “How does Sunday sound?”


End file.
